


1998

by Hex_DevourCake



Series: The Old One [1]
Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: AU where pretty much everyone lives during the same time, Anna has a really hard life sorry, Danny is kind of a manipulative dick, Entity is a cult, Evan really tries, Everyone loves The Legion, F/M, Frank tries harder, Gen, It skips around a bit, Joey is a sad boi, M/M, Max shows up later I promise, Mostly killer centric, Other pairings might happen idk, Some survivors are gonna get murdered not sorry, Survivors will show up tho, Susie really likes to push her luck, just starting here because I love The Legion they're real cute, trying to group it by year but it's not in order
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:08:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22243096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hex_DevourCake/pseuds/Hex_DevourCake
Summary: It's 1998 and The Legion rides by night, until something goes really wrong. Just when they think they've cleaned up their mess, a sudden loose end offers them a deal.
Relationships: Anna | The Huntress/Evan MacMillan | The Trapper, Danny "Jed Olsen" Johnson | The Ghost Face/Susie, Dwight Fairfield/Joey, Julie/Frank Morrison
Series: The Old One [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1601092
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Susie

It all happened so fast.

No one saw Julie get grabbed and pulled down the hall towards the bathroom, but Frank heard Julie's soft cries. The moonlight that peaked through the blinds showed off Frank's knife, and Susie looked over in time to get the jist of the situation. Julie pinned to the wall by a man in a grey janitor's jumpsuit. She heard grunt of the janitor as Frank's knife plunged into his back. His body hitting the floor sounded deafening. Frank always brought a knife, he said they had to be prepared for anything... Susie admired that about him, he was always prepared. It made their fun little escapades easier, more enjoyable, because his careful planning made it harder for them to get caught.

This was just supposed to be another night of The Legion teasing their snowy little town, a harmless revenge prank because that nerd Dwight fired Joey from the convenience store. According to Joey, he was late once and Dwight was powermad after being made shift supervisor. No one crossed The Legion... they were just going to break in using Joey's key before they changed the locks, steal some snacks and beer and tag the front windows.

The janitor groaned on the ground and Susie instinctively stepped back. 

“We're all in this together, aren't we?” Frank asked, but it had the cadence of an order. It chilled Susie; Frank was unofficially their leader, being the oldest and most worldly, but all his rough charm fell away in that moment.

“Are you serious, Frank? It was self-defense,” Julie said.

“Self-defense? During an armed B&E? Maybe you'll get off, uptown girl, but the rest of us are going down,” Frank retorted. Susie had to admit, he was right; Frank had a criminal record full of misdemeanors, Joey had a motive, and she was too poor to afford a good lawyer, and too soft-hearted to bear the thought of abandoning her only real friends.

Solemnly, Joey agreed. “All for one and one for all.” He took the knife from Frank's outstretched hand and plunged it between the man's ribs. Susie looked away, bile rising in her throat.

Julie looked to Susie as she took the knife next. “Do it!” Frank suddenly roared, making Susie jump and return her attention to the dying man. Her eyes pleaded with Julie to hold out, but she couldn't see them behind the mask, and Julie would do anything for Frank, especially now that Julie owed him. Everyone knew what happened to young girls caught alone in the dark, and it was lucky that she was not alone and Frank was prepared.

Julie slid the knife into the man's chest; Susie understood. Underneath Julie's cool girl exterior, she was a forgiving person... hopefully, she hit her mark and the man's pain was ended. Susie wondered absently if maybe Frank knew the real Julie, and preyed on that piece of softness.

She didn't see Julie hold the knife out to her at first. Frank cleared his throat, dragging her attention to it. Her throat tightened so hard she could barely choke out, “N-no... come on, Frank. He's dead.”

But it wasn't about that. She needed to seal this pact. All for one and one for all. Frank forced the knife into her hand and squeezed, curling her trembling fingers around it. Suddenly, he softened, whispering in her ear. “It's okay... it's for Julie.”

Tears slipped down her cheeks. For Julie... She let him guide her hand to the man's throat and she could see that the janitor's eyelashes fluttered, his chest moved so shallowly she hadn't noticed at first. He might live...

Susie didn't notice Frank removing his hand as she thrust the knife forward in a sudden burst of anger. For Julie... this man couldn't live after what he tried to do. For Joey and Frank, they couldn't go to jail for this. This man couldn't kill their dream of getting out of Ormond.

The anger faded as the janitor's breath stopped. Susie sobered quickly; she'd killed a man. SHE did it. Not Frank, not Joey, not Julie. She killed him.

He deserved it, she told herself as Frank helped her up. She would have stabbed him first if she had Frank's prepared, perceptive nature.

“Now, let's clean up this mess.”


	2. Danny

Not much surprised Danny Macmillan. Ever since he was a kid, he was fascinated with people; with their actions, interactions, with how they lived, with how they died. He observed, carrying his little moleskin notebook and his Nikon. His handwriting was shit, but he liked it that way; it was almost his own language, no one could decipher the secrets, the fucked up shit he'd seen.

He even had an acceptable outlet for it; he was editor of the Ormond Highschool newspaper. He made it seem cool because... well, it wasn't hard for him. His family owned half the town, it was entirely dependent on his father's mining company. They owned a massive, sprawling estate, acres upon acres of the nearby Red Forest, and they'd recently bought the rundown Ormond Ski Lodge. He wasn't just popular because he was rich; he knew he was good looking. He inherited the typical Macmillan features; dark hair, striking blue eyes, square jaw. He was a half a foot shorter than most Macmillan men, and leaner, but he preferred it. He was less imposing that way, more approachable.

But tonight brought an unexpected surprise.

For weeks, he'd been trailing the path of The Legion. A small group of local vandals terrorizing the town with their antics; vandalism, minor arson and theft. Always misdemeanors, which told Danny that someone in their little group had enough experience to keep them out of jail if they were ever caught.

If they were ever caught. They had a few brushes with police, but always managed to get away. That suggested they were athletic, or at least a few of them were. It also meant they knew the streets well; their activities weren't confined to any one neighborhood, so it was likely they individually came from varying social classes.

It took a very long time for them to trip themselves up at all. In fact, as far as The Legion knew, all their crimes had been carried out perfectly. They targeted places they knew there was little to no security, so Danny knew he had to set up his own. Their crimes were ones often committed by teenagers, so he set up hidden cameras where the teenagers liked to go to be alone; the rundown Ormond Ski Lodge. In the short summers, teenagers liked to go there to make out and build bonfires in the nearby Red Forest. It was common knowledge that his family recently purchased the lodge, but they hadn't yet begun renovations. With the profile he'd built for The Legion, his instinct told him that they didn't care.

His instinct was correct. A few days later, The Legion returned from a night of debauchery. They lit a fire in the old fireplace, and relaxed on the moldy couches. The firelight didn't provide enough light to distinctly make out their faces, and the camera didn't have a zoom feature; too noisy and easy to spot, not worth the risk. But, he confirmed they were teenagers and had rough descriptions on them. Two were male; one was about his height, but black, and the other was shorter, with blonde hair. Two were female; one, about the same height as the shorter male, with short, dark hair and a thin frame, and the other... well, she certainly stuck out. Pink hair past her shoulders, a rounder frame, a little below average height. He'd laughed loudly when he saw it.

In a town of 5,000 people, how many teenagers had pink hair? One. Her name was Susie Moore. He suddenly had a newfound appreciation for his parents' pagan devotions; something must have been smiling on him. Susie Moore was a junior, from a poor family, and her locker was right next to his. Her best friend was Julie Bennett, a beautiful girl from the upper middle class, a member of the softball team, and currently sporting a chic pixie cut. Julie was dating Frank Morrison, some nobody foster kid, 19 years old, blond, and charismatic in that 'dark and mysterious' way that teenage girls ate up. And Joey Stewart, black and lean, a member of the basketball team with multiple suspensions for fistfights, who followed Frank around like the leader of his fanclub. With Frank as the leader, all the boxes were ticked.

Susie required the least effort to track. She lived in a dark trailer park, and she was shy and naive; she was a bit skittish but never would suspect that anyone was watching or following her. He donned his stalking gear; the Halloween ghost mask and long black costume were thrown together quickly and cheaply, but they'd grown on him. They photographed well, they blended into the darkness... practical, but also somehow striking. He had to be more careful when she met up with her cohorts; Frank, Julie and Joey confirmed, before they put on their masks. He watched as Joey slung his arms around Susie and Frank's shoulders, and Frank wrapped an arm around Julie's waist. He kept low as they laughed, unable to hear the joke, scribbling furiously in his notebook. When they got into Joey's car to make their way to their target, he followed in a black sedan, staying a few car lengths behind them. He passed them and turned down a sidestreet when he saw Joey's car slow to a stop; Susie might never spot him, but he couldn't say the same for Frank or Julie.

They made it to a convenience store, which was closed. Joey fished a key from his pocket, and inserted it into the lock. Danny snapped a quick picture, then lowered his mask. As they entered the convenience store, he crept closer, crouched and silent. When he reached the doorframe, he stood, leaning out to get a look.

Susie was accounted for, pocketing a lighter from the checkout before poking at the till. She asked Joey for the keys, which he didn't have; she instead suggested they take the whole thing, and the safe beneath. Frank nixed the idea; if they had too much cash on them, it could be considered felony robbery. Joey grabbed a drink from the cooler... where was Julie?

Even he could hear the muffled cries, and saw Frank pull a knife and run. Something hit the floor... it looked like a body. It WAS a body, dressed in a grey jumpsuit. Unlucky janitor... unlucky Legion. He snapped a few more pictures as The Legion argued, and finally, took turns stabbing the janitor.

Interesting. This had moved beyond simple reporting on a local gang of hooligans. He wished he had a camcorder as he watched Frank and Joey pick up the body, taking it out the back to Joey's car. Julie and Susie used the janitor's own mop and bucket to clean up the blood. Susie grabbed a bottle of bleach, dumping it all over the floor and going over it again with a rinsed off mop. She asked what they should do with the mop and bucket; he admired her thoroughness. It was damning evidence. Frank seemed to think, then said they'd take it with them and dump it far away from the body.

Danny didn't have to follow them to know where they would dump the body.


	3. Frank

The car ride was tense. He knew it would be. Crammed together with each other and their emotions; he couldn't comfort Susie, or calm Joey (who was too jittery to even drive). And Julie... fuck. He knew she understood. Everyone knew what that janitor was going to do to her. Anyone who touched Julie was looking to have their hands cut off, but that... he gripped the steering wheel, anger flaring again. That fucking janitor ruined everything.

Before this, they were close to making it out of Ormond. The plan was to follow Julie to college; Julie could get her parents to let her rent an apartment instead of paying for a dorm. It would be crowded, but they were so close anyway, it didn't matter. The rest of them would get jobs; it would be easy for Susie, and Frank was sure that he and Joey could get something as long as they weren't too picky. They'd have some money they saved from various escapades; he was always careful with it. Whenever they got any, half went into savings and half went into beer and spray paint.

Now, they had to run. It was a small town, and missing people always set small towns off. There would be a manhunt, and the body would be found. Likely the mop and bucket, too, even if they were separated. They didn't take the safe or the cash register like Susie suggested, but they might as well have; the police would piece it together as a robbery gone wrong anyway.

They would bury the body, take the savings, and go as far as they could with it. Julie's family might look for them, but not for long; Susie and Joey's family didn't have the money for it, and his foster father couldn't give a shit.

...but it wasn't just the janitor's fault their lives were ruined. It was his, too. He wasn't thinking rationally, he wasn't considering them individually, only as The Legion. If he were any kind of leader, he would have taken the fall. Let them burn his mask so there was no link between him and The Legion, and everyone would assume that his crimes escalated. Ormond had never fucking accepted him anyway; only Julie, Joey and Susie actually cared. Julie could have gone to college, might have introduced Susie to a nice guy so she could marry her way out of poverty, and Joey could have at least gone semi-pro.

Julie's hand closed over his and squeezed. His chest tightened. She already forgave him, didn't she? Even as her best friend sniffled in the backseat while Joey fidgeted. Julie was calm. He loved her so much it made him irrational, made him selfish. She was everything he wanted, everything he never thought he deserved; he was nothing that no one ever loved, and she was beautiful and strong and kind and fun and for whatever reason, she noticed him. And when she noticed... Susie and Joey noticed. Everything he had was because of her.

And everything she lost was because of him.

He pulled out of his thoughts, turned off the autopilot, and parked the car in the shade a short walk from the lodge. The Macmillan family had bought it, but their renovations couldn't start until spring. So they'd have until spring before the body was found; maybe it wouldn't be found at all, they'd cement or build over it. Who the fuck knew, with rich people. Either way, they'd be long gone, and Julie's family would be done looking for her by then.

And... it would be quicker to say goodbye. The ski lodge was dilapidated, moldy, overgrown, but it was The Legion's home. It was more of a home than Frank had ever known. It was where his only real family had lived.

They didn't have a shovel, so they had to dig with their hands. Frank's hands quickly went numb from the cold ground, but they kept digging. Without a shovel, they could only get a few feet deep. He and Joey dropped the corpse into the hole, and Julie and Susie pushed the dirt over it. He tried to stamp it down, but the mound was still noticeable.

“Let's put some snow over it,” Susie suggested. Bless her, she was full of good ideas tonight.

They pushed the snow over the mound. It looked... better. A little less obvious. It would have to do.

Frank stood up and dusted off his pants. It was time to say goodbye to the lodge... but while the others walked towards it, he stopped, inhaling deeply through his nose. Cheap cologne... he knew the scent well. Someone was here.

“Wait,” he said, and the others stopped.

“What's wrong?” Julie asked. 

“Be quiet,” he hissed. They all froze, except for Joey, who was looking around in every direction.

A crunch of snow, coming from the woods. He turned towards it, but saw only shadows and trees. “Stay here,” he instructed, his voice as low as it could be while still being audible.

He moved towards it. Someone was watching them... he knew it. Fuck, he was going to have to take care of them, too. Maybe that was better; he could take the fall for both murders now. Sure, Julie and Susie and Joey might feel guilty, but he had to do what was best for them. He reached the tree line and squinted, trying to look deeper into the woods.

Suddenly, a ghostly white face pulled into a scream leaned around the tree and Frank shouted, swinging the knife. He found himself on his back in the snow, the face looking over him, tilting its head, watching as he tried to move himself back.


	4. Julie

“Frank!”

She broke into a sprint towards him. This was so fucked... so so fucked. They were fucked. How did they ever think they could get away with murder? She skidded to a stop as the figure in the ghost mask pulled out a knife, bigger than Frank's. A hunting knife.

She tried to swallow her sudden fear. She loved Frank... once, after Susie and Joey had fallen asleep by the fire, she told him she would die for him.

It didn't seem as romantic now.

“Run!” Frank yelled, looking back at her.

She couldn't move. Was Frank going to die... the same way they killed that janitor?

“What, you're all going to abandon him?” The ghost face laughed. From a pocket in his cheap costume, he pulled something else out... a camera.

Susie whimpered a few yard behind her, and she heard Joey kick the snow as he shouted, “Fuuuuuuck!”

From somewhere deep inside, Julie summoned the last of her strength. “Do you know who you're fucking with? You're fucking with The Legion, motherfucker. When you fuck with one of us, you fuck with all of us. You can only kill one of us, the rest will get that fucking camera, and we'll bury you.”

The ghost face seemed undisturbed. “Cute speech. I know exactly who I'm fucking with... Julie.” She could feel him smiling beneath the mask. “Joey.” He looked at Susie, and Julie just... knew. Something changed, it shifted in the air. He was hunting now, and Susie was the injured fawn in their herd. Could he smell Susie's fear? Was it as strong as that bad cologne? “Susie.” His tone had an almost sweet lilt to it.

“How'd you...”

The ghost face laughed, a sharp barking sound cutting through the chilly air. “It's a long story... but the short version is that Susie lead me right to you.”

Susie immediately held up her hands, shaking her head. “I didn't, I swear, I've never told anyone about The Legion--”

“It's okay, Susie. We know,” Julie soothed.

“Yeah,” Joey agreed.

The ghost face kicked Frank's knife into the woods with a sweep of his foot, then moved around him, towards Julie... no, past her. Towards Susie. Immediately, Joey tried to stop him and Julie braced herself for a scream--

But there was just a dull thud as Joey landed in a snow bank.

The ghost face stopped in front of Susie and picked up a lock of her hair, toying with it between his gloves fingers while Susie shivered.

“I love your hair... such a pretty color. So unique.”

“It's... it's my favorite color,” Susie whispered as everyone pieced it together. Frank was up, and moving purposefully past her, but Julie grabbed his arm and pulled him back. 

“Susie is in trouble--” he growled, glaring at her.

“Look. He put away the knife. I don't think he's going to hurt her... he's kind of... playing with her,” Julie said quietly. Frank didn't relax, but he didn't break away from her, either.

“She's not a toy.”

“Yeah, well, we need to make sure he doesn't change his mind and turn her into a pin cushion.”

Susie looked the ghost face over, from his mask down to his black Vans sneakers, then back up to his face. “...your mask looks you bought it at the dollar store.”

Julie covered her mouth, Frank snickered, and Joey laughed from the snowbank.

The ghost face seemed amused as well. “Yours looks like a kindergartner made it.”

Susie's demeanor suddenly changed, relaxing and even perky. Julie watched as Susie leaned closer to the ghost face. This was always how she looked when they played cards, and she'd bluffed her way into making them all fold when she was holding a terrible hand. Susie wasn't always scared, Julie knew. Susie had her own kind of strength; she knew her hand and how to play it.

“I know who you are, too,” Susie said, standing on her tiptoes. Julie knew that Susie had that cute little smile on that made her eyes sparkle. Was Susie saving their ass? Susie was saving their ass. Julie could have cheered.

“Oh yeah, Susie?” The ghost face taunted.

“Yeah... Danny.”


	5. Susie

Even Susie didn't know why.

It was just... something. Some feeling. Maybe it was the desperation to save herself and friends, but suddenly things were so clear. All these random puzzle pieces fell into place and maybe it was that 'women's intuition' thing. 

She just knew. She knew she caught him watching her, peering around the opened door of her locker, just like the ghost face around the tree. She knew that she felt something when he playfully taunted her about changing her hair from a mousey brown to the soft pink. And how amused he was when she bit back that people only liked him because he was Evan Macmillan's son.

'Do you like me, Susie?' She remembered there was something sweet in how he said it. It made her feel the way she felt now. Noticed. Warm. A little floaty, but in a good way.

And, you know, how many people have a Nikon camera? That was pretty expensive. She didn't think the reporters at their actual town newspaper had one.

This wasn't how she expected Danny Johnson to notice her. In fact, she never really expected him, too; why would he? She was probably the poorest kid in school, and everyone's looks paled when they stood next to Julie. What kind of fucked up meet-cute had she found herself in?

He pulled up the cheap mask, smiling at her. Susie forced herself to focus, not get distracted by how the mischievous glimmer in his blue eyes made him look even more handsome. “I'm impressed. How'd you guess?”

“I'm good at bluffing,” Susie said simply, shrugging her shoulders. “I had a good feeling, and not a lot to lose.”

“You rich asshole!” Frank shouted, running and tackling Danny into the snow. Susie took the opportunity to grab the camera as Danny fell, and handed it to Joey, who threw it to Julie. Julie took off running into the lodge. They were on the same wavelength, they were so close they practically shared a mind. They could make the right moves with no words at all. She wasn't sure if Frank throwing himself at Danny was to protect her or get the camera, but Julie was right; Danny was fucking with The Legion, and nobody fucks with The Legion.

Susie looked down at Danny, tilting her head mockingly as Joey and Frank held him down. She moved one leg on either side of his waist and squatted down, checking the pockets of his costume. A knife in one... and a notebook in the other. She twirled the knife in her hand absently as she opened the notebook with the other.

“Your handwriting is shit, Macmillan,” she said pointedly.

Danny didn't struggle, just smiled up at her. “I can read it just fine. I'm not going to hurt you, by the way.”

“No shit, we've got your knife and you're pinned,” Joey pointed out.

“You think if I wanted to blackmail you or turn you in, I would have showed myself to you?”

“I mean... you were stupid enough to pull a knife on us,” Susie shrugged.

“You're cute when you talk down to people,” Danny said with another grin.

“Yeah, that's not going to work. I've seen Frank do that waaaaay too many times,” Susie giggled.

“So, what do you want?” Frank growled, but didn't move to let him up.

“To help. I'm sure you think you've thought this out; you're going to run, and you think you'll be far enough away when someone finds the body, right?” Danny guessed. Frank nodded. “Right, so... what happens when someone accuses you of kidnapping Julie when she doesn't come home tomorrow? Rough foster kid, pretty rich girl...”

“Julie's almost 18.”

“Yeah, but Susie's only 16. What about her?”

Susie looked at Frank, and she could tell by his scowl that Danny was right; he hadn't considered that someone would think she or Julie were kidnapped.

“They could leave a note...” Joey suggested.

“Or, you could let me help you,” Danny pressed.

“Why? Why would you want to stick your neck out for us?” Frank stood up, and so did Joey, who then helped Susie up. Julie would have removed the SIM card from the camera and destroyed them both by now. They were probably burning in the old fireplace.

Danny didn't bother to brush off the snow. “You could be useful to me. And I could be useful to you... you want to get out of Ormond, right? Not by running away, I'm guessing.”

Susie was the first to nod.

“I'll make a call, and make this body disappear. And the mop and bucket.”

“You're not that rich... wait, are you that rich?” Joey asked in disbelief.

“I'm not that rich. My father, however, is that rich,” Danny corrected. “I make the call... and when I need you, I'll let you know.”

“What do we do now?” Susie asked, as Julie returned.

“Go home.”

“How do we know we can trust you?” Joey asked.

“You'll know you can't if the cops wake you up tomorrow,” Danny drawled, clearly growing bored.

Susie looked at the other members of the Legion in turn. “Julie, can I...?” she asked quietly.

Julie nodded. “Yeah, of course.”

“Me too,” Frank said. “I don't want to leave you alone. Joey too.” Joey nodded in agreement.

Susie looked back at Danny as The Legion walked towards Joey's car. He was on the phone, speaking low, clearly trying to be charming. When his eyes met hers, she swore she saw his lips purse in a kiss, but Julie and Frank's tugs at her arms didn't give her long enough to find out.


	6. Evan

“Again?” Evan's tone was exasperated.

His son was spoiled, to put it bluntly. Maybe it was his fault; ever since Daniel was born, he'd been given everything. He was, after all, his only son, and the heir he'd promised his father on his deathbed. Even his wife was loathe to deny their children anything.

“Haha, yeah,” Danny said, as if it didn't bother him that he was calling his father to say he needed a 'cleaner' again. “At least it's on our property this time.”

“Yes, how fortunate...” Evan sighed, rubbing his temples. “Fine, fine. I'll send Ojomo. Just... wait for him. Don't go anywhere.”

“Sure thing, pops.” At first, Danny sounded nonchalant, but now, Evan wondered if he was distracted... he sounded hurried to get off the phone. As soon as Danny hung up, Evan tapped a few numbers. When he was Danny's age, he hadn't understood the need for someone like Philip Ojomo... what messes could possibly require such discretion to clean up? He learned that with wealth and power came certain problems that had undesirable solutions. 

Danny seemed to understand it as a free pass to do anything he pleased. Like accidentally killing a janitor. How it happened... didn't make sense. But Evan was less concerned with the details at this moment, and more concerned with making it go away.

“Philip... hello. How are you?” He tried to sound cordial, but was that even possible with the nature of what he asked Ojomo to do?

“Well enough,” Philip said, his voice thickly accented. “What do you need?”

To the point. Fair enough. “I need you to go to the ski lodge, up on the mountain and help Daniel dispose of something.”

“Ah. I'll go now.”

“Wait,” Evan said, before Philip could hang up. “I want you to make note of anything unusual...”

“In what way?”

“Anything out of place. Just whatever you happen to notice.”

“Very well.” Evan hung up. He was sure that Philip would carry out the job as instructed, and afterward, Evan would have a more complete picture of what happened. There was something that Danny wasn't telling him.

“Was that Danny?” Evan looked to the doorway, where his wife stood. Over the years, her Russian accent had faded slightly and her English had greatly improved, but she still tended to speak in short, blunt sentences. Their children seemed to understand her perfectly, though. He nodded.

“Is he in trouble?” If she was worried, her tone didn't betray her. She sounded more curious than anything, and as his mother, she was entitled to know what was going on.

“Not yet. I've sent Philip to take care of it,” he told her. Anna nodded, understanding. She had difficulty interacting with adults, but seemed to like the African man. He supposed that was because he was the one to find Amanda in that drug den and bring her to rehab. She'd nearly died.

With Daniel, he would do much better. He would know what was going on, so he could correct his son's course if needed.

“Go to bed. Daniel won't be home until late,” he said, his tone a little too demanding.

Anna narrowed her eyes at him. “I'll wait.”

“Fine,” he sighed. He could apologize to her, but he was tired and what was the point? There was a 50-50 chance that it would end in a fight, so Anna would win either way. It was as if she looked for reasons to argue or imply that he was a bad husband or father.

Maybe he was. He knew he was when they first married, and their children were very young. He was trying to be better now.

He looked back at Anna, and spoke more softly. “I'm going to bed. Please come with me. Tiring yourself won't make him come home sooner, and Philip will make sure everything is alright.” He stood up from the desk and walked towards the doorway. Anna was a tall, intimidating woman, but he still stood a few inches above her. She wasn't without any femininity; her eyes were striking, dark pools rimmed by thick lashes. Her wide hips and well-toned backside. Her chin length, chestnut hair held a slight curl. Full cheeks, a soft face and small chin. On a petite woman, many of her features might be considered doll like.

Anna looked up at him and nodded. “Da. You're right.”

He paused, slightly shocked. “What was that? I don't think I heard you clearly.”

But she wouldn't say it again. Anna spoke softly, pointedly and never repeated herself.


End file.
